I love date nights. They don't tend to happen that often as life gets in the way a lot but, when they do I go all out. 

I'm currently lovin' the below makeup look for during the day, and for when I have to attend meetings and events. But, for date night, I've been shaking it up with a smoky eye. I've started to prefer a smoky eye to a bold lip recently - especially if you're going on a dinner date - saves having to dash to the ladies to reapply your lipstick after every course!

To get the below look, this is what I used:
Base

I always give my face a clean using my Bioderma cleansing water before applying my base. I then use the Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm - this works as a moisturiser and primer, leaving my skin feeling hydrated and smooth. 

I've recently purchased Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc (possibly THE hardest shade to purchase - I went to 8 Space NK stores, Liberty AND Selfridges before I was successful!) I don't like to wear heavy foundation but, I like to wear something that offers good coverage. This is where Sheer Glow falls and, it lasts from day to night - perfect if you're going straight from the office to dinner/drinks.

I then cover the dark circles under my eyes, and any spots with MAC Select Cover Up Concealer in NW10. This product is great as it doesn't cake around any lines or spots I have. 

If I'm having an extreme dark circle under my eyes day, then I'll add a touch of YSL Touche Eclat. To be honest, I rely on this product heavily and have done for years - it's a real make up bag essential! 

I'll finish off with a sweep of No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter across my cheek and brow bones. 

Cheeks

Nice and easy, I use my Nars Virtual Domination Cheek Palette and either wear 'Deep Throat' or 'Final Cut' on my cheeks. Both of these colours give me a lovely pinched-cheek look without any shimmer. 

Eyes

I'm still not sure that I have the smoky eye down to a 't' but, I'm trying! For this look, I slap on some Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer before using my Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette the shades I tend to use to create the look in the photos are; Skimp, Frisk, Cover and Primal. I then finish the look off with my Fairydrops Scandal Queen Quattro Mascara this mascara is amazing for getting volumous lashes - perfect for the smoky eye look in my opinion.

Lips
A slick of lip balm and, I'm done.
A virtually fuss free look that takes less than 10 minutes to achieve.

Which gives me more time in deciding on what to wear!

As I mentioned in my first Wedding-related post, I purchased my shoes TWO days after I got engaged.

Ok, ok I know that was a little bit fast but when Net-a-Porter have a sale on, and the shoes you've had your eyes on for ages are half price, it would be rude not to purchase them...

That's my excuse anyway. 

I'm a huge fan of Sophia Webster shoes. I have several pairs in my wardrobe (including my special pair for the big day) so, when I heard she was launching a Bridal collection, and the lookbook dropped in to my inbox last week, to say I was excited was a huge understatement.

You'll understand when you scroll down to see the images.
Sophia Webster has re-imagined a selection of seven of her signature shoe styles and her iconic speech bubble clutch in a romantic palette of baby pink, ice blue and ivory. Every pair of shoes in the collection is marked on the soles with Sophia Webster’s signature ‘WIFEY FOR LIFEY’ slogan.

I've been meaning to do this post for a while...

As most of you who read my blog regularly will know, I got engaged over Christmas.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah!

Three months on, I'm still in shock that he proposed. 

I mean, I dropped enough hints, but still.

He asked me on Boxing Day and, I have to say it was very romantic. Although I was in THE grumpiest mood because I was hungry and freezing cold (we were on Hove beach and I'd been lured down there with the promise of breakfast). What was said is too private to put on the internet but let's just say the proposal involved crying, me calling him a d***head a few times, knees and jewellery.
Being the organised girl that I am, we have already set a date, booked the venue, chosen our photographer, asked our loved ones to play their special part in our day and, I've purchased my wedding shoes -literally two days after the proposal (Net-a-Porter had their sale on and, the shoes were a bargain so it would've been rude not to). 

So, there's only a few more things to do really...right?

No chance!

I've decided to have a little area on WLDN purely for Wedding related stuff. You can read to your hearts content on how the preparation is going plus, I'll be posting about various wedding bits and pieces. 

I'm looking forward to sharing my new adventure with you all!

I spent a lot of my childhood Summers in Italy. From Cattolica to Bologna to Venice and Verona, Italy has a place in my heart that I will never forget. 

I love how the Italians live - beautiful cities and towns to explore, amazing food, chilled out dining, chic fashion and, not forgetting...gelato.

It's making me want to hop on a plane right now!

Valentine's may have been and gone but, it's nice to indulge once in a while with your loved one.

My idea of the perfect date night in is good food, chilled Prosecco, candles and a film. We turn our phones and emails off (a very hard thing to do in my household!) and concentrate on spending some quality time together. 

Inntravel, very kindly provided me with a gorgeous Italian hamper as part of their #LoveFromItaly campaign. On top of that, they have also been very kind to give one of my lovely readers a £50 Carluccio’s voucher so that you can treat yourself to a taste of Italy.

Inntravel are experts in walking holidays that take you off the beaten track at a more slower pace. They offer holidays tailored to suit you perfectly. 

Enter below - all you need to do is visit their Facebook page and, tell me what your ultimate holiday destination would be. 

Simples!

One of my favourite things to do when choosing what to wear, is to clash pieces of clothing in my wardrobe. From patterns to textures, I love trying things out. Mixing really feminine pieces, with something a little 'tougher' like these Kurt Geiger heels and Topshop Khaki jacket is a perfect example and, it totally works.

A few weeks back, I headed up to London to meet one of my bestest friends, S for a long catchup over Hot Chocolate and a bit of culture.

We started at the Hoxton Hotel in Holborn. I'm a huge fan of the one in Shoreditch. This one opened a few months ago and I'd been dying to have a nose around.

If I could describe the Hoxton Holborn in a sentance I'd say - "It's the hot younger sister of the Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch'

Let's take a peek inside.

I'll be heading back soon to try out their Espresso Martini's for sure.

Everywhere in the hotel is a snazzy as the last room. I'm totally going to attempt to recreate their toilets at home. Just look at those sinks *swoons*
I'm thinking of heading there for my birthday weekend in July. It's a big birthday so, I want to celebrate in style and, what better way than to book a room there.
After we'd finished in the last room, we stepped back outside to find the sun had set and it had got very cold. 

One of my favourite things about living in Brighton (aside from the beach) is the amount of independent boutiques there are. I love supporting local businesses as much as I can so when Match Nails got in touch, inviting me down to check out their boutique and have a manicure I was excited to check it out.

Based in Central Brighton, the boutique offers shoes and bags over two floors, with a nail boutique on the top floor. After climbing up the stairs, past the gorgeous leather bags and shoes, you enter the salon which, is very calm and beautifully decorated. Being in the middle of Brighton you would think that it would be noisy but, it wasn't at all.
Match Nails only uses OPI products and has around 100 shades of nail polish (including gel polish) to choose from. I opted for a gel manicure, which includes a nail shape, cuticle care, hand massage and a colour of your choice. I went for 'Dining al Frisco' a metallic blue colour which I really loved.
The salon offers classic manicures, as well as gel ones and pedicures. I'll be going back to try out one of their pedicure chairs - these bad boys massage you whilst you get your pedicure which, sounds like heaven to me. 

I love it when a high street brand shows at fashion week. I've been a fan of H&M for a loooong time, and they debuted the AW15 collection in Paris a couple of nights ago.

Sport and futurism were the themes at the H&M Studio show for autumn/winter 2015.Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Edie Campbell walked through a lunar landscape at the Grand Palais in Paris, wearing styles from H&M’s key seasonal collection, which also mixed together functional pieces and feminine layers.

Zip-up jackets and coats and slender trousers set the sporty tone on the H&M Studio catwalk for autumn/winter 2015, with futuristic shimmer from lurex knits and dresses, along with functional pieces including hooded anoraks and zip-front jumpsuits.

Check out footage from the show below. There's a few pieces I have my eyes on which, I'll be featuring in my Paris Fashion Week AW15 round up post next week. 

H&M Studio is H&M’s limited edition collection of key seasonal pieces, with its own dedicated design team. The autumn/winter 2015 collection will be available in 200 stores, as well as online, from 10th September 2015.

Sometimes, all you need is a pair of shoes to make you feel happy. 

But first, let's talk about the rest of the outfit. 

*cue blogger pose*
Layering is something I like to do when I'm bored of wearing knitwear and heavy coats. Throwing a couple of jackets on over an outfit is a perfect way to change things up a little. My long jacket from Cos is one of those pieces in my wardrobe that I'll know will be in there forever - it's simple, a perfect shape and is so versatile. 

...and had me jumping for joy when I wore them for the first time whilst out and about in West London.
You can't go wrong with a pair of polka dot trainers!

Trainers: Nike

Coat: Cos

Jacket (underneath): H&M

Bag: Sophie Hulme

Jeans: ASOS